Join the Maine Conservation Corps

Position Available: Environmental Steward - Presumpscot Regional Land Trust

Gain meaningful experience exploring Maine through the lens of an individual conservation organization! Have you been waiting for a chance to learn about how a land trust operates? How a federal wildlife refuge creates and conserves habitat? How citizen science projects are created and accomplished?

Live, learn, and explore Maine's conservation pockets with the Maine Conservation Corps (MCC). As an MCC AmeriCorps Environmental Steward, you can make an impact within an organization and the community by achieving specific Host Site goals as unique as each placement.

Environmental Stewards (ES) accomplish a wide variety of conservation projects ranging from water quality monitoring, habitat restoration, mobilizing volunteers to maintain hiking trails, banding and gathering data on songbirds, restoring eelgrass, teaching school kids about shellfisheries, mapping invasive species, and more. Gain experience and an adventure while making a difference.

The Presumpscot Regional Land Trust (PRLT) engages with communities to conserve, steward, and provide access to local lands and clean water for current and future generations to enjoy.

PRLT is a community-based nonprofit primarily serving Gorham, Gray, Standish, Westbrook, and Windham. They hold 3,000 acres of conserved lands with 20 free public access preserves that include trails and water access. They run the water quality monitoring program for the Presumpscot River watershed and coordinate the Sebago to the Sea Trail, a 28-mile trail from Standish to Portland.

PRLT has continued to expand the size and quality of our trail systems and overall operations, and we have ambitious plans for 2026 that require the addition of an Environmental Steward. This position will serve under the Program Manager and alongside Resilience Corps Fellow and will be primarily focused on expanding volunteer management capacity, improving monitoring efforts, improving and creating accessible trails, implementing a volunteer-led outreach event system, and assisting with the water quality program.

There are some broad goals for this position as well as collaborating on or fully handling several specific projects plus some maintenance tasks. Major responsibilities/goals include:

1) Increase number and diversity of volunteers, especially for outeach, trailwork and water quality, through increasing overall recruitment effort, diversifying recruitment channels (such as social media and physical postings at preserves and elsewhere), and being available for attractive group work time slots, such as early evenings and weekends, that are not currently offered by PRLT staff.

2) Help us expand our water quality program to gather continuous data (dissolved oxygen) and storm sampling (bacteria) for sites on the main stem of the Presumpscot River . Coordinate volunteers and perform lab and/or fieldwork on sample days and enter (and QA/QC and map) data, under the guidance of scientists and officials from the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, Maine DEP, and University of Maine system.

3) Help us maintain our 38 miles of current trails, which have grown significantly beyond the capacity of our current staff. Regularly walk existing trails on rotating basis to check for and address maintenance issues. One of the most important goals for the member is to find a local contractor to mow all grassy trail sections.

4) Help improve property monitoring forms and process and then perform monitoring visits and contribute to monitoring reports.

5) Assist with alewife stewardship and counts

6) Assist with replacing signage throughout our network as part of re-branding effort.

Location:

Westbrook, Maine

Time Requirement:

Environmental Stewards are expected to serve a minimum of 40 hours per week. The Host Site determines a regular schedule, and it will include a minimum of 2 days off per week. Regular schedules may be modified for special events.

Description of Duties:

• Volunteer Recruitment and Coordination (6 hrs / week)

  1. Undergo education and training around volunteer recruitment, coordination, and retention
  2. Come up with and employ creative ways to reach new volunteers, including social media, email, and physical postings
  3. Collaborate with staff to improve volunteer systems, including communication and tracking
  4. Be available on weekends and evenings to host new volunteer groups during these oft-requested times.

• Water Quality (6 hrs / week)

  1. Assist with deploying, maintaining, and downloading data from continuous dissolved oxygen meters
  2. Assist with collecting storm samples for bacteria
  3. Assist with water quality every other Saturday morning in lab (running simple bacteria tests) or field (collecting water samples and data) - all training provided
  4. Perform water quality readouts every other Sunday morning (same weekends as the sample days)
  5. Enter volunteer-collected data using phone or computer app

• Increase Trail Accessibility (12 hrs / week)

  1. Undergo education and training around accessible trails, from physical materials and construction to amenities (e.g. bump-outs, benches) and signage and advertisement
  2. Assist with creation of new trails (8 hrs/week): independently, with Program Manager, and with small and large volunteer groups, help to clear wide trail, build raised wooden boardwalks, and otherwise create inviting, accessible, and sustainable trails and structures.
  3. Help make sections of existing trail more accessible

• Increase Trail Maintenance Capacity (10 hrs /week)

  1. Find and coordinate a local contractor (individual or business) to mow grassy/brushy trail sections.
  2. Support volunteer efforts when needed by walking existing trails to check for and address maintenance issues

• Signage (4 hrs/ week):

  1. Collaborate with Outreach and Engagement Coordinator (and committee) on new signage designs and strategies, especially cohesive panels for kiosks
  2. Post new and replacement signage with new Land Trust logo throughout trails

• Monitor Conservation Easements (3 hrs/week)

  1. Assess and present ways to improve and streamline current monitoring practices and forms.
  2. Research property documents and past monitoring reports, conduct site walks, assist in writing and filing annual monitoring reports.

• Assist in developing volunteer-led outreach program

  1. Brainstorm topics and sites for walks
  2. Seek out and train volunteer walk leaders
  3. Help train volunteers to do above steps so that these walks can happen with little to no staff involvement in the future

• Alewife Science and Outreach (10-15 hrs week during 2-4 week alewife run)

  1. Learn about alewife ecology and act as alewife ambassador for visitors to alewife viewing pools
  2. Set up equipment and conduct alewife counts at Highland Lake Dam according to new protocol
  3. Assist with updated alewife outreach events and signage
  4. Recruit and help train volunteers to conduct alewife counts

• Invasive Plant Research and Management (time commitment tbd)

  1. Research common invasive plant identification and natural history and control methods, including chemical applications.
  2. Assess the prevalence and threat level of different invasive plants on existing Land Trust properties through field monitoring and reviewing past monitoring reports.
  3. Put together information on chemical invasive plant control that Board of Directors can review to create a policy to allow or avoid this type of management.
  4. Help design a program for the active management of invasive plants
  5. Help coordinate and participate in weekly invasive plant removal field day with volunteers

• Participate in MCC and AmeriCorps orientations, training, events, and conferences

• Assist with pre-approved and allowable fundraising activities
• Engage in volunteer management activities including: Recruiting volunteers, Promoting and leading volunteer events, Collecting and submitting Volunteer Assignment Agreements to MCC, Implementing the Essential Volunteer Management Practices and Volunteer Management Action Plan
• Complete ongoing assignments and required tasks, including job readiness training, construction of member portfolios, weekly timesheets, and quarterly reports.
• Participate in a Site Visit with MCC staff
• Maintain regular communication with MCC, including checking email no less than weekly
• Participate in mid-term and end-of-term evaluations with the Host Site Supervisor
• Adhere to the MCC code of conduct, safety rules and guidelines, drug-free workplace, and other policies outlined in the MCC Handbook and AmeriCorps Member Agreement
• Represent MCC and host site in a professional and supportive manner to the public and media

Essential Functions:

• Strong organizational and leadership skills, digital and with a physical group of people
• Positive attitude
• Strong enthusiasm and aptitude for learning through formal and informal training and presenting/teaching
• Willing and able to perform hard physical labor in all outdoor conditions
• Comfort with some level of leadership in the field (small volunteer groups or contingents of larger groups)
• Good written, oral, and digital communication skills
• Proficient with email, Excel, and basic Google apps
• Ability to manage volunteers
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively
• Demonstrates good judgment and professionalism
• Demonstrates initiative, reliability, and flexibility
• Ability to serve both independently and as part of a team
• Ability to manage time effectively and produce quality results with attention to detail
• Demonstrates a desire to learn, serve others, and make a difference

Marginal Functions:

• Occasional weekend and night availability helpful
• Any past knowledge of and work with land trusts or other conservation organizations is helpful
• Some level of experience and proficiency with trail (or landscaping) tools and methods
• Some level of experience and proficiency with carpentry tools and methods
• Chainsaw experience and certification or desire to earn it
• Natural history education and/or knowledge
• Helpful technology proficiencies include Google Sheets and ArcGIS

Service Conditions:

Service will be completed outdoors in all conditions, with a mix of field and office tasks. Proper inclement weather clothing is necessary (warm layers, rain jacket, etc). Outdoor spaces could be snowy, wet, muddy, etc. During the summer months the temperatures can vary from cool in the morning to hot in the afternoons, increased humidity and afternoon thunderstorms are common. Proper layering, and rain gear, is recommended in the summer.

• Service is performed primarily outdoors
• Service involves some physical labor
• Service involves travel to nearby locations
• Service is performed independently and as part of a team
• Service involves frequent communication to multiple parties
• Service involves managing time effectively and completing tasks with attention to detail
• Service will require the ability to self-motivate, serve independently and collaboratively

Qualifications:

• High School diploma or equivalent
• Must be at least 18 years old
• Must be a US Citizen or permanent resident
• Must agree to a criminal history check
• All positions at State sites require a valid drivers license with a good 5-year driving record
• Passion for community service and the environment
• Commitment to complete the full term of service
• Required strong background and/or interest in volunteer recruitment and management
• Required positive attitude and strong communication skills when dealing with diverse and sometimes challenging people
• Ability (or willingness to learn) to effectively use basic trail and carpentry hand and power tools required
• Positive attitude
• Able to work in group
• Comfort with some level of leadership in the field (small volunteer groups or contingents of larger groups)
• Good written, oral, and digital communication skills
• Proficient with email, Excel, and basic Google apps

Benefits:

• Weekly living allowance of $535 (before taxes) for 24 weeks
• AmeriCorps Education Award of $3,697.50
• Certifications in the National Incident Management System, some members (determined by Host Site need) will also receive MCC Chainsaw Safety Certification
• Conferences such as the Maine AmeriCorps Member Conference and Volunteer Leadership Conference
• Networking opportunities
• Maine State Park Pass
• Some members may also be eligible for student loan forbearance and childcare reimbursement
• This site does not offer housing

Orientation and Training Topics:

Members will participate in up to five orientation days. Typical topics include: Intro to AmeriCorps, Prohibited Program Activities, MCC, Host Sites and You, OnCorps reporting, Portfolio Development, Professional Communication, National Incident Management Systems, Leave No Trace, and Safety. Orientation and training will be primarily in person.

Job readinesMembers will participate in up to five orientation days. Typical topics include: Intro to AmeriCorps, Prohibited Program Activities, MCC, Host Sites and You, OnCorps reporting, Portfolio Development, Professional Communication, National Incident Management Systems, and Safety. Orientation and training will be primarily in person.

Job readiness training, such as resume writing, job search components, appropriate workplace behaviors, and interview skills will be taught throughout the term of service. Additional training may be provided by the Host Site.

Volunteer Engagement

The Environmental Steward will utilize the Essential Volunteer Management Practices to improve the sites volunteer program.

The MCC ES will recruit and promote volunteer opportunities from the local community, businesses, and social organizations to accomplish projects. The MCC will assist members in identifying potential outreach opportunities, best approaches, and promotion of events to increase volunteerism at the Host Site. The ES will improve the sustainability of the overall volunteer program

To Apply: Submit an MCC Application, resume, and cover letter. Please email Corps.Conservation@maine.gov for questions and information.